


Can't Stand the Rain

by tellmewhatyousee



Category: One Piece
Genre: Canon Divergent, Canon Universe, Fluff, Gen, Pre-Canon, Young Robin, but then i realized it could be a one shot, may be a series in the future, spoiler free, was gonna be multi chapter, young Franky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23692522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellmewhatyousee/pseuds/tellmewhatyousee
Summary: Franky never thought of himself as the rescuing type until the night he found a girl out in the rain.
Relationships: Franky & Nico Robin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Can't Stand the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> title is from [the song by The Rescues.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jyUJ0QsMM)

Franky couldn’t sleep when it was raining. He hated the sound of it. The pitter patter against the roof always kept him awake. Outside, it was much more bearable. The sound of rain hitting concrete was even and steady, just the way he liked it.

It was chilly outside, but not unbearably cold, so he thought he’d do just fine in a pair of shorts and an unbuttoned shirt. It was late (and rainy) enough that just about everyone had gone indoors, so he was free to wander the streets without anyone around to bother him.

He lost track of time pretty quickly, but as the downpour started to let up, he decided he could make his way back home. He didn’t want to worry anyone, after all, especially not—

He stopped in his tracks when he saw a pair of big, blue eyes staring back at him. It was a girl, a young girl, who hadn’t moved an inch since she saw him. The dress she wore looked old and tattered, and the girl herself wasn’t looking much better. Even in the dim lights that lined the street, he could see how pale she was. She was shaking, and whether that was out of fear or just the cold, Franky wasn’t sure.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, she bolted in the other direction.

“Wh— hey, wait!” he called, chasing right after her (against his better judgement). He was catching up to her pretty quickly, but when she took a hard turn and slipped on the wet concrete, he screeched to a halt. She stared up at him with wide, terrified eyes as she scrambled to get away, and as a last resort, Franky held his hands up in surrender.

“Hey, calm down!” he said, not at all calm himself. “I’m not gonna hurt you, alright? I was just gonna ask if you were okay!”

Eventually, the girl stopped struggling and just sat there. Staring at him. Franky thought she looked a bit like a lost puppy, and if he wasn’t so confused, it might’ve even been a little endearing. Hesitantly, he stepped closer and offered her a hand. Her trembling was a lot more obvious when she touched him, and he felt a pang of guilt for scaring her, even if it wasn’t intentional.

Now that she was closer, Franky could see just how frail she looked. The atmosphere certainly wasn’t helping the vibe she was giving off, but even without the darkness and the rain, she looked just plain sickly. She’d left a bit of blood on his hand when she took it, and though it had washed off just as quickly as she’d pulled away, it was still enough to be concerned about.

Franky tried his best to make his voice sound softer before he spoke again. “You’re… not lookin’ too good there, kid,” he said. “Is there somewhere you’re supposed to be? I can get you to a doctor, but it might have to wait until—”

The girl’s eyes went wider and she shook her head. Franky pursed his lips.

“Can I at least get you some food or something?” he asked. “You look like you’re gonna pass out.”

* * *

Franky knew Tom would probably scold him for letting a stranger into their home, even if she _was_ just a kid. But considering how anxious she looked about the whole situation, he didn’t think he had much to worry about.

He tried his best to keep quiet as he led her to the kitchen. He offered her a seat at the table, but she seemed determined to stand, so he shrugged it off and went looking for something she could eat. He settled on a glass of water and a small loaf of bread, since he wasn’t sure what she liked and she probably wouldn’t answer if he asked.

“This is for you,” he said as he set the bread and water down on the table. Maybe now, she’d sit down. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

She just stared down at the plate, so he took that as an ‘okay’.

It took him a few minutes, but Franky managed to find a blanket, a roll of bandages, and a clean washcloth. By the time he returned to the kitchen, the girl was finally sitting down, and her plate was clean.

He didn’t say anything at first, just offered her the blanket. She took it after a moment’s hesitation and draped it over her shoulders. She was accepting his help. Seemed like a good sign.

“Your hands looked like they got scraped up pretty bad, can I bandage them up for you?” Franky asked. “I’m not really good with this stuff, but, I mean. I can try.”

He was, admittedly, pretty surprised when she replied with a nod. He led her over to the sink, where she washed and dried her hands, occasionally glancing over at him, always on guard. She offered her hands, and he was sure to be extra careful as he wrapped them up. It was a little messy, but he tied them well enough that they would stay in place. Satisfied with his work, he let her hands go, and she wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

“So, uh, you can call me Franky,” he introduced himself, once he realized he hadn’t done so. As expected, she didn’t answer, just stared blankly at him. “You don’t… say much, do you?” Franky chuckled. “That’s okay. Do you have somewhere to go? I can walk you back home.”

After a moment, the girl shook her head. Franky frowned.

“Well, you can sleep here, if you wanna,” he said. He’d certainly have some explaining to do in the morning, but maybe Tom could help them find her parents, or whoever was responsible for her. When he saw what looked like a little nod, he turned on his heels and led her to his bedroom.

She watched him while he fumbled through his drawers, searching for anything that would be appropriate and comfortable for her to wear. He eventually settled on a pair of drawstring shorts and an old button-up that barely fit him anymore, which he set down on top of his dresser. “You can change, if you want something dry to wear,” he said, pointing to the clothes, “Or you can just wear what you have now. Either way.”

She glanced between Franky and the dresser before she walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. Probably a no, then.

“Right.” Franky cleared his throat. “Well. I’ll be around if you need anything. Sleep tight.” He left with a wave, closing the door behind him. With that, he had the rest of the night to figure out how he was going to explain the kid in his bedroom to Tom and Iceburg in the morning.

* * *

“What the hell are you doing sleeping out here?!”

The question followed a swift slap on the back of the head, which jolted Franky awake. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and quickly realized he’d fallen asleep with his head on the kitchen table. Iceburg was standing over him, looking at him like he had three heads.

“This isn’t your bed, Flunky,” Iceburg said, “We _eat_ in here, you know.”

“Jeez, gimme a break, I dozed off,” Franky replied, swatting his hand away. It was then that he remembered the previous night’s events, and stood from the table. “Fine, I’m gonna go… sleep in my bed, then,” he muttered before he rushed off towards his room.

He knocked on the door as gently as he could, so as not to arouse any suspicion from the others, before he stepped inside. He was surprised to find the bed empty, other than the blanket carefully folded on top of it. “Hey… kid?” he asked, his eyes darting around the room in search of any sign of the girl. All he found was an empty space on the dresser where he’d left clothes for her.

He decided Tom and Iceburg didn’t need to know, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm still new to one piece things so maybe this isn't 100% accurate, but i hope you enjoyed it! like i said, this was part of an idea for a bigger fic so maybe it'll be the start of a series eventually.
> 
> i have a [blog on tumblr](https://t3llmewhatyousee.tumblr.com/) where i yell about writing things if you're interested in my stuff!


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